NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana employers may soon face a new wave of federal immigration enforcement, a shift that BMF, the New Orleans–based public relations and crisis-management firm, views as a serious concern as U.S. Border Patrol agents prepare multi-parish operations in the New Orleans metro area.
For Greg Beuerman, BMF partner and New Orleans communications strategist, along with his colleagues at Tunheim PR in Minneapolis, the expected federal operation delivers a clear warning to Louisiana organizations: immigration enforcement is now a business risk companies can’t afford to overlook.
“An ICE enforcement action is no longer a theoretical risk for employers. It is an operational reality that is not going away. And now is the time to take this risk seriously, to ensure compliance, and to prepare for a worst-case scenario,” said Beuerman.
Federal Sweep Poses Operational Risks
According to documents obtained by the AP, the operation would deploy about 250 federal border agents for a two-month campaign targeting roughly 5,000 individuals across southeast Louisiana and into Mississippi. Planning materials show teams staging at an FBI field office in New Orleans, reserving a naval base for equipment and munitions, and fanning out across neighborhoods from New Orleans through Jefferson, St. Bernard and St. Tammany parishes and as far north as Baton Rouge.
“Here in Louisiana, we’ve seen numerous U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions against companies, non-profits and others — including those in construction, hospitality, food production, transportation/logistics, education and health care — as part of a national goal of detaining as many as 3,000 people each day who may be without proper documentation,” Beuerman said.
Federal agents were initially expected to begin operating as early as Nov. 21, but planning documents suggest the main deployment will likely start in early December. Federal agencies have not publicly confirmed details.
Louisiana Employers Face Heightened Exposure
Louisiana’s Hispanic population has continued to climb in recent years, reaching nearly 7 percent of residents in 2023 — one of the state’s fastest-growing demographic shifts.
Beuerman said the operational consequences of a raid by either Border Patrol or ICE, both within the Department of Homeland Security, would be essentially the same for employers.
“An ICE enforcement action can be devastating — disrupting or shuttering operations, threatening employee morale and retention, and damaging corporate and personal reputations overnight,” said Beuerman.
Pat Milan of Tunheim PR said the greater concern for businesses is internal: many organizations still underestimate their vulnerabilities.
“Many organizations in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors still aren’t taking their own risks and vulnerabilities seriously,” he said. “This ‘head-in-the-sand’ approach is really a roll of the dice that most organizations cannot afford, and it flies directly in the face of what we’ve seen daily throughout the nation and in ‘hot spots’ like Louisiana. Ignoring the risks and the potential for an enforcement action is a recipe for disaster.”
Managing Disruption and Reputational Risk
Local leaders in both the public and private sectors still do not know when or where federal operations will occur. That uncertainty, Beuerman said, only amplifies the potential fallout.
Beuerman outlined what’s at stake if federal agents show up at a worksite: “First, a total and complete disruption of normal operations for days or even weeks at a time. Second, a crushing blow to employee morale. Third, damage to public perception from a battery of inquisitive and judgmental calls from bankers, funders, board members, customers, vendors and insurers who (rightfully) want to know why the organization put itself in a compromised situation and what the organization is doing about it.”
In many cases, an ICE enforcement action can provoke visits from other governmental agencies at both the state and federal levels, Beuerman said. “They will look deeper into record keeping on issues as diverse as health and safety, environmental controls, and upkeep of standard operating permits and certifications.”
Milan added that the fallout doesn’t stop with internal disruption; the media spotlight can intensify the situation almost immediately. “And then there’s the news media, locked and loaded on satisfying the public’s unquenchable thirst for information.”
Preparation as a Strategic Business Necessity
Beuerman said organizations should not assume adherence to federal regulations offers complete protection. “Full and complete compliance with U.S. immigration law is, of course, the best insurance policy against an ICE enforcement action; however, as we have seen, even that is not entirely effective. There’s still more that an organization can do to double down on protecting its license to operate, its competitive position in the marketplace, its ability to retain or compete for the best talent, and its corporate reputation.”
That “more,” he said, begins with preparation.
“These steps include having a crisis communications plan — developed with input from legal and compliance counsel — that can be put into action immediately to ensure both employees and external parties receive timely and accurate information about what’s happened and how the crisis is being handled.”
Beuerman said employers must view preparation as essential to protecting their operations. “While an organization may not be able to prevent an ICE enforcement action, it can control how it responds and the extent of damage to be incurred in the process. The time is now to be prepared.”
About BMF
BMF is a New Orleans–based public relations and crisis-management firm providing strategic communications counsel to businesses, nonprofit organizations and public agencies across the Gulf South. The firm specializes in crisis preparedness, issues management, media relations and reputation strategy, with a focus on helping clients navigate high-stakes operational and regulatory challenges.
BMF works with organizations across a range of sectors, including health care, energy, education, construction and hospitality, and partners with national firms such as Tunheim PR to support clients with broader regional and national communications needs.
